Repellent Activity of the Essential Oil from the Heartwood of Pilgerodendron uviferum (D. Don) Florin against Aegorhinus superciliosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

Javier Espinoza,Jocelyne Tampe,Andrés Quiroz,Leonardo Parra,Alejandro Urzúa

doi:10.3390/molecules21040533

Javier Espinoza, Jocelyne Tampe + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21040533

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Abstract

The weevil Aegorhinus superciliosus Guérin (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), which is endemic to Central-Southern Chile and Argentina, is one of the major berry pests in Chile and the most important pest in the La Araucanía Region (38°44′9″S, 72°35′25″W). Due to the poor effectiveness and problems surrounding the implementation of the traditional control methods using organophosphate and carbamate insecticides, new strategies for controlling this pest are needed. In this communication, we evaluated the behavioral responses of male and female A. superciliosus to volatile compounds released from the essential oil (EO) obtained from the heartwood of Pilgerodendron uviferum (D. Don) Florin using olfactometric bioassays. The composition of the EO was analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). According to these analyses, δ-cadinol (24.16%), cubenol (22.64%), 15-copaenol (15.46%) and δ-cadinene (10.81%) were the principal components of the EO. The Pilgerodendron uviferum EO, which is almost exclusively composed of sesquiterpenes (99.5%), exhibited a repellent effect against A. superciliosus adults, regardless of the sex or concentration used (56.6 mg/cm3 and 1.58 × 10−2 mg/cm3). The EO has low volatility and greater persistence than the EOs composed of monoterpenes and is considered a good model in the search for raspberry weevil repellents.

Highlights

Aegorhinus superciliosus Guérin (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), commonly known as the raspberry weevil, is endemic to Central-Southern Chile and Neuquén, Río Negro, Argentina
The examination of the literature on the repellent activity of EOs against Coleoptera species shows that the principal components of the active oils tend to be monoterpenoids, and little is known about the repellent activity of sesquiterpene-rich essential oils [13,14]
We report the composition of the EO obtained by hydrodistillation from the fresh heartwood of P. uviferum, which was determined using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and the behavioral responses of male and female A. superciliosus to the P. uviferum EO at two different concentrations using a four-arm olfactometer

Summary

Introduction

Aegorhinus superciliosus Guérin (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), commonly known as the raspberry weevil, is endemic to Central-Southern Chile and Neuquén, Río Negro, Argentina. The low efficiency and problems arising from the application of current control methods determined the urgent need for new strategies for controlling A. superciliosus In this scenario, the use of natural products with properties that modify the behavior of A. superciliosus, such as essential oils (EOs), is viewed as an important alternative [6]. The examination of the literature on the repellent activity of EOs against Coleoptera species shows that the principal components of the active oils tend to be monoterpenoids, and little is known about the repellent activity of sesquiterpene-rich essential oils [13,14] In this communication we report the behavioral response of A. superciliosus males and females to volatile compounds released from. We report the composition of the EO obtained by hydrodistillation from the fresh heartwood of P. uviferum, which was determined using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and the behavioral responses of male and female A. superciliosus to the P. uviferum EO at two different concentrations using a four-arm olfactometer

Results and Discussion

Experimental

Plant Material

Olfactometer Bioassays

Data Analyses